Ellenborough Market Cafe : The Amazing Crab Feast

This June, be excited! That's because Ellenborough Market Cafe at Swissotel Merchant Court is bringing to you The Amazing Crab Feast! One can expect a wide variety of crab dishes that will be selected and served on a daily basis, alongside their spread of usual international buffet that comes with it.

To start, the Japanese counter offered a fairly modest selection of sashimi, sushi and fresh seafood served on ice such as poached prawns and cold crab. There's also a live station that has a chef pan frying generous foie gras portions that melts in your mouth. There isn't a limit to the number of rounds you can take, so be sure to head for second servings if you like your foie gras!

The crab dishes are bound to spoil you silly, with many cooking styles offered. We tried the Kam Hiong Crab, we gave off a little spice and kick, and we enjoyed it. The Black Pepper Crab on the other hand, reminds you of the local flavour that we would all be familiar with. Other crab dishes included a very nice and thick Corn and Crab Bisque, as well as Crab Meat Fried Rice. Despite being a buffet, we were pretty impressed with the sizeable crabs that were used, as well as the freshness that tagged along with the quantity.

Apart from the crabs, you can find quite a fair bit of Peranakan dishes on the buffet spread as well. We really enjoyed the Ayam Buah Keluak that came with super tender chicken meat, as well as the soft and geletinous Babi Chin, paired with freshly steamed coconut rice. The Peranakan counter was easily one of our favourites from the buffet spread.

Chinese dishes including Baby Lobster in Black Bean Sauce, a full on Red Snapper with Nonya Sauce and freshly made Pork and Seafood Spicy Wanton were also present on the spread, giving the whole buffet a pretty good balance of each cuisine.

For desserts, be sure to try their signature Durian Pengat if you are a love the king of fruits. If you don't - fret not, there are also a few traditional desserts for you to choose from (and something every mother would probably approve of) such as Pulut Hitam, Peanut Cream, White Fungus with Pear and freshly made on-site Muah Chee. There's also a selection of cakes, in case your sweet tooth doesn't get enough.

With Father's Day just round the corner, it's the perfect place to be at for that special celebration for the daddies out there. There's definitely something for everyone in the family, and lots of crab, of course. And if you need another reason to be at the crab buffet - just think that we are already almost done with half of 2017 and it's time to gather the friends for a mini celebration!



Ellenborough Market Cafe
Swissotel Merchant Court
20 Merchant Road
Singapore 058281
+65 6239 1847/1848
www.swissotel.com/singapore-merchantcourt


This was an invited media tasting.

Coastes

I have to admit that i love my brunch, but i hate having to squeeze with the crowd. Most of the popular places in town are either over-hyped, or crazy crowded to the extent you lose your appetite before your food even reaches the table.

Pretty glad to have found Coastes at Sentosa which serves up an extensive brunch menu which you can indulge in while soaking up the sun. Coastes (which probably derives from the word, coast) is smacked right in the middle of Siloso Beach. The location is away from the city, where only chill vibes exist. 

From their all-day menu, you can expect to select from brunch items, as well as fusion dishes including interesting ones like Green Curry Pasta - which might tingle a bit of your Asian tastebuds. We had the Seafood Platter to share and it came with a wide variety of grilled seafood which was pretty apt, considering we were dining just beside the sea. It includes an assortment of crayfish, fish stew, crab salad, tiger prawns, clams, as well as calamari. The portion is pretty huge, so it's best to have it for sharing between 3-4 people, or 2 if you are really hungry.

If you like your protein, dive straight for the Bourbon-Glazed Pork Ribs. One can choose between a half or full slab - i recommend the full, of course. Slightly sweet from the maple glaze, the ribs fell apart from the bone easily, flaunting a fork-tender consistency. It's something you would want to be indulging in if you are a meat-lover.

Coastes also offers light bites that you can look forward to pairing your cocktails, beer or even mocktails with. The Coastes Club is packed with flavours from the roast chicken and bacon within, stacked with fresh greens and a sunny side up. Another on the menu that's worth trying is the Duck and Arugula Pizza which comes with a slight Asian twist to it, resembling something like a hoisin sauce base with roasted duck chunks.

We loved the different kind of drinks available, apart from the usual beer selection. The Shades of Summer features a refreshing peach, vanilla and mango flavour, but we still enjoyed the Coconut Kumquat most, which had a good mix of fresh coconut juice and citrusy calamansi.

Coastes is a great place to hangout over drinks and food with friends. It's away from all that crazy crowd you get in the city, which is probably the reason why i like it even more. And with that, i guess that leaves no guesses where i'll be hanging out on the weekends in the weeks to come.



Coastes
50 Siloso Beach Walk
Singapore 099000
www.facebook.com/CSideSingapore


This was an invited media tasting.